The Clippers are a half-game behind the Thunder for the second-best record in the Western Conference after Oklahoma City lost on a last-second shot Friday in Denver.

Led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder will test the Clippers' improvements on the defensive end.

"Everyone tries to deal with them, but they're hard to deal with," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. "That's why they have such a good record and went to the Finals last year. We're going to have to do a good job with our coverages overall and our efficiency offensively.

"...There's still a lot of basketball left, but whenever you're playing one of the top teams, you want to see where you're at."

And the Clippers, who are as close to full strength as they've been all year, are ready to be tested by the Thunder.

"I think it'll be fun," Crawford said. "We're among the better teams in the league, both teams. They're a team that went to The Finals last year. They changed their team, but they're still rolling.

"It's going to be a fun game."

4 THE HARD WAY

More than any player in the history of the NBA, Crawford has found himself involved in basketball's highest-scoring play – the 4-point play.

In his career, he has done it 37 times – including one against Cleveland on Friday night – drilling a 3-point shot while getting fouled.

But that's the easy part.

"The hardest part of that is making the free throw," he said.

Come on. Really?

"What? There's so much pressure on that free throw," Crawford said. "That's the hardest part."

Crawford wouldn't reveal exactly how he's been able to accomplish the feat more than any other player in NBA history.